Chris is an experienced and enthusiastic executive with more than 30 years of management experience in private and public sector roles, including 18 years as a senior local government executive. He is a current board member of the Alpine Resorts Coordinating Council and provides executive consultancy services to local and state government agencies. As CEO at Hobsons Bay from 2012 to 2018, Chris led the organisation through a time of great sectoral change including the introduction of rate capping. He was responsible for:

• organisational restructure and regular review, delivering efficiency and effectiveness
• improvement and substantial operational expenditure reductions,
• cultural change programs,
• ensuring effective governance,
• inducting and guiding newly elected Councillors,
• ensuring prudent financial management,
• industrial relations, including negotiating enterprise bargaining agreements,
• developing and implementing advocacy strategies across levels of government,
• building strong relationships with key community, business and government leaders.

Chris drove a strong customer focussed culture, encouraging collaboration and innovation across the organisation and beyond. He is a passionate advocate for active community engagement, participative democracy, improvements to mental health services, and the promotion of gender diversity and inclusion principles within organisations and community. In previous senior roles, Chris was responsible for a range of corporate functions including organisation development, human resources, communications, IT and records management, governance and corporate planning. Preceding his local government career, Chris was a well-known and respected regional media identity for 18 years, with state-wide television roles at VIC TV Shepparton and Ballarat (later WIN TV), and a highly rated interview and talkback program on 3SR Shepparton for 6 years in the late 1990s. During that time, Chris developed lasting relationships with many local and national political and business leaders. Chris’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Business, majoring in management and leadership. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and is a fellow of the Goulburn Murray Community Leadership program. He has also completed the Australian Applied School of Management Colloquium program.